Seriously, I knew nothing about the Provincetown Playhouse until Slay's post yesterday. Here's a quick crash course.

Their first year was financially profitable, mostly because productions were inexpensive with performers supplying their own costumes, and props borrowed or improvised. Because of growing subscriptions, the number of performances per week was increased. In those first two years, Eugene O'Neill had six new plays presented: Before Breakfast, Fog, The Sniper, 'Ile, The Long Voyage Home, and The Rope. Susan Glaspell had four plays produced: Trifles, The People, Close the Book, and Woman's Honor. Edna St. Vincent Millay, fresh from Vassar and with limited notoriety for her poetry, auditioned as an actress for the company and was cast. A few years later, her role would change to promising young playwright after her Aria Da Capo was produced. The Provincetown's first full-length play was given in April 1918, The Athenian Women, by George Cram Cook. In the audience on opening night was political activist Emma Goldman who brought her friend Mary Eleanor Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald eventually became the managing director of the Provincetown and one of the company's few paid employees.

Who out there knows Emily Connor, who works for Samuel French ... ?

Anyone?

Was it you?

Here's a great response to theatre-goers worried about how the strike will affect their vacation plans.

From Terry Teachout:

How long will the strike last? Your guess is as good as mine. I'll let you know what I know when I know it. In the meantime, though, keep in mind that at any given moment, most of the good shows in America are playing way off Broadway. In recent weeks I've praised productions I saw in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. You don't have to go to New York City--or anywhere near it--to spend an unforgettable night at the theater. What are you waiting for?

Great post. It starts like this:

Solidarity

That's not just a word to the Broadway theatrical community. For the second time in this decade, we have felt it and lived it. And each time that solidarity is tested, we become stronger for it, individually and as a community. You, the Producer, do this. We rediscover that part of the human spirit that we have been alienated from, the power of the group, the tribe, the union. This is a sense that can only be found during times of mutual trial.

So, I was at our vet's office this morning, hanging-out in the waiting room with Beckett, and CNN was on the TV hanging overhead. They were talking about the writer's strike and then they switched to some "on location" guy in New York who talked about the stagehands strike.

Well, suffice to say it was not a very sympathetic report. Not at all. "What were the stagehands thinking," they asked, "going on strike during such a busy time of year for the Great White Way?" The only sympathy CNN displayed was for the poor tourists who came to town expecting to see a show and were disappointed to find a picket line instead.

They had plenty of video of the picket lines, but rather than interviewing anyone who had a clue what was going on, they interviewed a mom whose kids were sad cause they couldn't see How the Grinch Stole Christmas. "One wonders" they said "why the stagehands would choose to strike on the opening weekend of such a potentially popular show."

CNN. In depth reporting. Reliable sources. It made me more than a little sick.

UPDATE
Be sure to read this entry from The Humble Nailbanger for more on this.

One NYC Stagehand (who has a blog) posted some great food for thought in the comments to my post about the current stagehand/producer conflict on Broadway. Everyone should read it, so I'm pasting it up right here.

You are correct when you say that this has been brewing for years. With the large corporations moving into the Broadway arena, a much more corporate mentality is coming to the theatres. Charlotte St. Martin, the new head of the League, comes out of the hospitality industry and we know how they feel about their workers. A Pew study found that 17% of all illegal Mexicans work in the hospitality industry. Robert Sillerman, producer on “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein”, is out of Clear Channel, no friend to the theatre professional there. Sillerman has decided that for “Young Frankenstein” he will not be posting the grosses on the show, as they are nobodies business but he and Mel. It seems Max Bialystock is now his role model.

It’s a straw man argument that because we’ve got computers and hydraulics and digital this and robotics that, everything changes contractually. Hours, wages and conditions of employment, that’s what’s in a contract. As the equipment becomes more complex, so does the load-in. If you want a plywood set and cloth backdrops, that’s not going to cost you nearly as much to load-in as say, a flying car, 200 moving lights or a surround sound system. The sets today are made of steel, they fly, roll, disappear, do everything except make coffee. We install, operate and maintain some of the best theatrical equipment in the world in small, cramped, outdated theatres and do it safely. This changes nothing about the contract. You still need the manpower to get it in the door and smart, skilled manpower to run it. We, the stagehands, actors and musicians, make the audience gasp with delight and keep them coming back.

The biggest reason the “yellow card” is such an issue is that the crew size on the road is determined by standards set in NYC. It’s a snowball effect. The “yellow card” is a contractual device that requires that if the show coming out of NYC is the same size, then they have to hire the same size crew in the new city. The show doesn’t get smaller the further away from NYC it gets. The “yellow card” is a protection for all stagehands in the country.

Perhaps here would be a good time to discuss accounting practices. A lot of times a loss is not really a loss. A couple of bad weeks on Broadway and a show can run for years on the road. With merchandise and ancillary monies coming in, a profit can still be made even with half full houses. It’s just not reported that way.

The Producers want to return the Investors money sooner and they feel they can do that by cutting labor costs (about 8% of your ticket price). Not by picking better shows, not by better pre-production work to make to load-in go smoother but by hammering the guy who’s mopping the stage. This is like somebody going to Atlantic City and telling the waitress that she’s got to work for less because they don’t like the odds at the craps table.

My advice. Don’t invest harder, invest smarter.

Probably the biggest theatre story of the past few months is the impending strike or lockout on Broadway. (Though, they're apparently not talking lockout anymore.) Surprisingly few of the NYC bloggers have been touching the issue, though The Playgoer has followed it carefully and with gusto.

For a clear and even-handed (from my perspective) over-view of the months-long stand-off, visit Bloomberg dot com for Jeremy Gerard's coverage that includes some specifics of the contracts.

There was no Broadway shutdown last week, and unless the warring parties breach their temporary truce, none will occur this week. But there's also no contract between producers and stagehands and the union has punched up the tension level, calling a strike vote for next Sunday ...

The producers and stagehands have been performing this Strindbergian death dance since the end of July. One side presents an offer. The other side pouts like a spurned lover. Everyone gets hot and bothered; everyone cools off and then they start all over again. Mostly it's been for show.

Meanwhile, the NY Times reports today that Broadway producers and theater owners plan to begin imposing parts of their controversial contract on stagehands beginning Monday. It's all been enough to get Mayor Bloomberg involved, though Local 1 turned down his offer to mediate negotiations.

This added to this means what?

I'm referring first to Michael Riedel's article in the NY Post, sub-titled SINKING 'MERMAID' MAY MARK END OF DISNEY'S GREAT WHITE RUN and then to NY Theatre dot com's listing of the venues most searched-for on their site. Disney has three shows occupying the most sought-after venues, while Riedel suggests that The Little Mermaid will finally bring the Mouse's quest for Broadway dominance to an end, largely because of their continued artistic failure.

I guess it's too much to hope for another art-meets-commerce Lion King, isn't it?

Artsjournal has linked to a great article at Bloomberg about the Roundabout's continuing expansion and the ire it draws from some folks in the Broadway producing industry. Though not long on analysis or commentary, it does have some choice facts and quotations that describe the strange life of a gargantuan non-profit operating on Broadway.

Producers such as Rocco Landesman, who owns Jujamcyn Theaters' five Broadway houses, has accused Haimes of running a wolfish commercial operation in the sheepskin of a publicly funded institution.

The Living Theatre, who have returned to New York in a big way, have been all over the theatrenet lately.

In the NY TImes:

For two decades they performed avant-garde and activist classics and naturalistic quasi-happenings. Audience interaction was the point, and confrontations, nudity, onstage and offstage sex and frequent police intervention were as much the marks of a good show as an ovation.

The Brig is a play of consequence, both aesthetically and politically. Its 1963 production by the LT not only set off reverberations that rippled through the whole Off-Off movement, it led to questions in Congress, the theater's seizure by the IRS, jail terms for its founders, and the company's departure to Europe for a five-year exile.

Here's something you may have missed, from NYtheatre Mike.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending an advance screening of Dori Bernstein’s new documentary, ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway, and enjoyed it a lot. Bernstein takes an inside look at the making of four different Broadway musicals from the 2003-2004 season - Avenue Q, Caroline or Change, Taboo, and Wicked - and follows their paths from rehearsals to opening night to the Tony Awards.

More from Mike and the ShowBusiness trailer if you click through.

I couldn't possibly care less about who wins the Tony awards. No offense.

If you do, the man of the hour writes a blog called The Playgoer, where he's covering the Tonys comprehensively. He's got all the lowdown.

- Who got nominated?"

Utopian" Russians rule the supporting categories: Billy vs Ethan and Ehle vs Plimpton

The Vertical Hour
yes, for those keeping score, Vertical Hour by Sir David Hare, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Julianne Moore was a big zero today. (Nothing even for Bill Nighy)

So, I'm glad folks like Todd London, Lynn Nottage, and John Dias (former Publc dramaturg) are there...But who the hell is this "Retired Judge of the New York State Court of Claims"???

Photo: Jim Baldassare

New Theater Corps (Aaron Riccio)

The actors aren't the only ones giving a flawless performance in Jenny Schwartz's God's Ear. English itself is taking a bow in this beautifully stylized postmodern tragedy, a poignant, obfuscating look at the language we use when we cannot say what is in our heart, and the blinding power of honesty when at last our heartstrings find the strength to sing.

Lots more if you read on.

Okay, Terry Teachout started it.

Regardless of what we decide, it strikes me that somebody out there in the 'sphere ought to consider starting a similar group of Web-based drama critics and commentators that would give its own theater awards each year, just like the NYDCC and the Outer Critics Circle.

I know for a fact that a lot of us who started theatre companies did so in part because we really wanted to be in a great band. So we're to be forgiven if shows like Hedwig and Cynthia Hopkin's Must Don't Whip 'Um make us weak in the knees.

We're also to be forgiven if we curse a little bit at the realization that Banana Bag & Bodice may have beaten us to the logical conclusion of this way of thinking.

From George Hunka:

The eight-year-old troupe this time around identifies itself as an ersatz punk-rock group, The Rising Fallen, hired to perform on an oil-drilling rig off the coast of the Faroe Islands, where they end up trapped for six months ...

Playwright Young Jean Lee's newest creation, Church, is at PS 122, April 26-May 12.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Acclaimed playwright and director Young Jean Lee transforms her life-long struggle with Christianity into an exuberant church service. This is a church of celebration, designed to test the expectations of religious and non-religious alike. Come to CHURCH - an uplifting, joyous and inspirational event that may be Lee's most miraculous - or devious - experiment to date.

Spring Awakening: More like "Schwing Awakening" We can't find it on the internet, but word on the street has it that Nature Theatre of Oklahoma's 4-hour No Dice will play at Soho Rep this spring. The Berliner Ensemble will perform Schiller's complete, 9 hour Wallenstein trilogy. "The Left Hand Singing," a play about the mothers of three murdered civil rights workers, makes its regional debut in St. Paul. The head of London's Donmar Warehouse, Michael Grandage, is a busy guy. The Mike Daisey story continues to spin.

NY Theatre Experiment will be remounting two of the most successful pieces from NYU’s Freeplay Festival. A sexy Lysistrata in North Berkley. International Women's Day celebrated with 5 new plays at The Ohio State University. David Mamet needs a new job. Columbus, Ohio''s largest theatre has announced their next season. A pair of Seinfeld writers are on tour in The Bunkbed Brothers.

Manhattan Theatre Club will do Bock, Rebeck, and more next season. Clear Channel puts Minneapolis theaters in jeopardy. Why DO theatrefolk choose to live in places like Florida? The Sublet Experiment is "a modern comedy of romance and real estate" and takes place in apartments throughout NYC. The Baldwin New Play Festival has 5 more days at UCSD. (Thanks and congrats, Alex.)

Says the Playgoer: "Everything you ever wanted to know about the passed-over nominees for the Drama Pulitzer this year (the playwrights and their plays) is covered in a nice Playbill feature."

Lynn Michaels of the Open Space Theatre Experiment (and much more) passed away last week.

As theatre takes one big, expensive step forward (possibly towards making itself obsolete) it's important to consider 3LD's production, Losing Something.

First, before passing judgment, I recommend everyone stop in at 3LD's website and find the video they have from from a portion of the show. Even if you're morally opposed to the mix of video and live action, it's worth watching.

Interested? The times had a fairly in-depth article about the show. You have be registered, but if you're not, what's wrong with you? The article is here.

How about some reviews? New Theater Corps, Aaron of the Show Showdown, and ... TheaterMania.

From Wednesday's New York Times: City leaders decided that the Signature Theatre Company would not be included in plans for a ground zero performing arts center to be designed by Frank Gehry. Rather, Signature will move its operations to nearby Fiterman Hall, part of Manhattan Community College.

Yet the decision highlights the striking way the original cultural ambitions for ground zero have been scaled back. In June 2004, state and city officials selected four arts groups for a coveted place at the site with great fanfare, predicting that ground zero would become a cultural mecca. Only the Joyce [a dance company] remains now.

The rebuilding of the former site of the World Trade Center has been frustrating, to say the least. For years, plans have been mired in political conflict between NYC officials, families of 9/11 victims, and architects with BIG ideas. The absence of theatre from this memorial environment is just the latest in a string disappointing decisions.

Read the full article here.

It appears that a fairly important panel discussion occurred in NYC Monday night (3/26). It's encouraging to know that blogging about theatre has reached a critical mass sufficient enough that people will gather in a public (rather than virtual) forum to discuss the state of blogging, theatre, and the impact that the two have upon each other. Perhaps even more encouraging would be the prospect of a critical mass of bloggers that emerges outside of NYC, but I won't get picky.

By far, the best recap of the evening goes to Isaac Butler at Parabasis. Ironically, his "short points" turns out to be more substantive than a lot of other post-panel commentary I found. But you'll also want to check out what Jaime has to say over at Surplus, George Hunka at Superfluities, and Matt Freeman's On Theatre and Politics.

Okay, this is old news, but I felt compelled to blog about it here just because I'm still pretty heartbroken over it. I really can't imagine a movie-to-musical adaptation with greater potential than The Princess Bride. The combination of clever wit, sweeping romance, and swashbuckling action made the property a perfect choice for the Broadway musical treatment, much moreso than Big or even Footloose. I mean, the song titles practically write themselves...

ACT ONE: "As You Wish", "Inconceivable", "I Don't Think They Exist"
ACT TWO: "Mostly Dead", "A Shortage of Perfect Breasts", "Prepare to Die!"

But the real promise of this show was in the partnership of Oscar-winner William Goldman (book) with Tony-winner Adam Guettel (music and lyrics). Suddenly it was clear that the producers weren't just out to make a quick buck on the cult-popularity of the 1987 film. This was to be a high-concept show with real artistic merit.

Unfortunately, all those lofty dreams came to a screeching halt last month when Goldman and Guettel had a falling-out over show ownership and profits. According to the New York Post, Goldman reportedly wants 75% of the authors' share, and because he owns the rights to the property, Guettel must consent to those terms or Goldman walks away.

My man-crush on Ben Folds reaches new heights tomorrow night (March 26) as the New York Musical Theatre Festival kicks off its first-ever Spring Concert Series with a production of "More Unauthorized Musicology of Ben Folds". Judging from the preview article at Broadwayworld.com, the show kinda seems like a star-studded jukebox musical in the tradition of such cash cows as Mamma Mia! and Movin' Out.

Of course, anyone familiar with Folds' music certainly knows the guy has a knack for sing-along melodies and character-driven songwriting, making him a favorite pop star of musical theatre nerds everywhere. And while I'm a little leery of Folds' ouvre being adapted for Broadway like this, I do take some comfort in knowing that the proceeds of the event will support the production of new musicals at NYMF, now in its fourth year. Besides, I think I'd give just about anything to see Manoel Felciano in a show-stopping, Busby Berkeley-style rendition of "The Secret Life of Morgan Davis".

If you click over to BroadwayWorld.com now, you can even get a $20 discount on tickets to the event. So what are you waiting for?